Kendall-Jackson Wine Center
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens
5007 Fulton Rd.
Fulton, CA 95439
Website: http://www.kj.com/visit
Having visited Sonoma Valley several times, I felt it was almost an obligation to visit Kendall-Jackson. What wine drinker has not heard of Kendall-Jackson? Their wine is distributed worldwide and it’s not difficult to spot a Kendall-Jackson wine label in a local store or advertisement. I even chose Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay for my wedding reception. Founder Jess Jackson ranks right up there with Robert Mondavi as a U.S. wine icon. He produced the first Kendall-Jackson wine in 1982 and it became an instant success with consumers. Over the next two decades, Jess Jackson became a leader in the wine industry forming Jackson Family Wines, a wine holding company that owns 35 individual wineries around the world in addition to Kendall-Jackson Family Estates. In 2009, Jackson was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame, but he sadly passed away in April 2011 at the age of 81 after a battle with cancer.
There are two different ways to visit Kendall-Jackson in Sonoma Valley – at the Wine Center and Château in Fulton or at the chic tasting room and restaurant in downtown Healdsburg. I have visited the Wine Center a couple of times but haven’t had the opportunity to check out the tasting room in Healdsburg. The Wine Center is what I expected from a big name wine producer. The Château and well-manicured walkway leading up to it look like the perfect photograph that one might find in a wine magazine. Off to the left of the Château is a gazebo surrounded by some vines and culinary and sensory gardens. Visitors can roam around on their own or participate in a tour of the gardens offered three times a day.
Tasting room at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate
Inside the Château is a wide open gift shop and tasting bar. The room is bright with light gold walls and white trim. The open roof and windows all around the tasting room bring in a lot of sunlight. The gold painted railings and chandeliers add a little glamour as well. Although the area is spacious, merchandise and wine bottles take up most of the space and the tasting bar is rather small. Both times I visited I felt like we had to cram in to get a spot up at the bar even though there were only 3 or 4 other couples there. I expected there to be a much larger tasting area for such a popular winery. There are two different tasting options, the Classic Tasting and Reserve Tasting. To get the most of your tasting experience, I recommend printing out the Two for One Classic or Reserve Tasting coupon on their website and splurge a little on the Reserve Tasting (which is a reasonable fee). A lot of people tend to want to try the wines they already know, but the Reserve Tasting provides a chance to try some limited release Kendall-Jackson wines. For a more special experience, the winery offers three different types of food and wine pairings and other experiences. Details are available on their website.
I am glad I visited this winery because now when people talk about Kendall-Jackson I can say “I’ve been to the winery”, but it wasn’t the most exceptional tasting experience I have ever had. Both times that I visited the servers were occupied with several guests and couldn’t provide a lot of one-on-one attention. I expected this place to be very popular and was happy enough not having to wait in line to get to the tasting bar. One other tip I would give to future visitors is to try to make this an early stop in the day right around when the tasting room opens to avoid the rush later in the day.